Method and apparatus for constructing a concrete wall structure in open water

ABSTRACT

A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING A WALL STRUCTURE SUCH AS A CONCRETE CAISSON IN OPEN WATER BY SLIPFORMING FROM THE TOP DOWN. TO CARRY OUT THE METHOD A GUIDE STRUCTURE IS INSTALLED ALONG THE DESIRED LOCATION OF THE WALL AND SUPPORTED BY THE GUIDE STRUCTURE ARE A SERIES OF YOKE MEMBERS TO WHICH ARE FIXED A PAIR OF SPACED APART SLIPFORMS. HYDRAULIC LOWERING JACKS MOUNTED ON TOP OF THE YOKE MEMBERS CONTROL VERTICAL JACK RODS, THE LOWER ENDS OF WHICH ARE CONNECTED TO A BASE RETAINING SHOE. POURING AND FINISHING PLATFORMS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE GUIDE STRUCTURE ABOVE AND BELOW THE SLIPFORMS. THE RETAINING SHOE IS INITIALLY CONNECTED TO THE LOWER EDGE OF THE SLIP FORMS AND IN CONSTRUCTING A CAISSON, IS LOCATED JUST ABOVE THE HIGHWATER LINE. THE FIRST POUR FILLS THE RETAINING SHOE AND WHEN IT HAS SOLIDIFIED, THE JACKS LOWER IT EVENLY BELOW THE SLIPFORMS. AS POURING AND SLIPFORMING CONTINUES THE SHOE SOON ENTERS THE WATER AND THE WEIGHT ON THE JACKS IS REDUCED BY THE WATER DISPLACED. WHEN THE RETAINING SHOE REACHES THE BOTTOM, WATER MAY BE APPLIED THROUGH   PASSAGES FORMED IN THE SHOE TO PROVIDE JET OUTLETS ALONG ITS INNER AND OUTER SURFACES. THE WATER JETS AID IN HELPING THE SHOE TO PENETRATE INTO THE OCEAN OR LAKE FLOOR TO PROVIDE A FIRM FOOTING FOR THE WALL OR CAISSON.

Sept. 28, 1971 F|LAK 3,608,320

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GONSTRUCTING A CONCRETE WALL STRUCTURE IN OPEN WATER Filed March 13, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ANDREW M. FILAK ATTORNEYS Sept. 28, 1971 FlLAK 3,608,320

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING A CONCRETE WALL STRUCTURE IN OPEN WATER Filed March 13, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ANDREW M. Fl LAK ATTORN EYS 3,608,320 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCT- ING A CONCRETE WALL STRUCTURE IN OPEN WATER Andrew M. Filak, Palos Verdes Estates, Califl, assignor to Norse Development Corporation, Rye, N.Y. Filed Mar. 13, 1970, Ser. No. 19,296 Int. Cl. E02d 5/40 US. Cl. 6146 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and apparatus for constructing a wall structure such as a concrete caisson in open water by slipforming from the top down. To carry out the method a guide structure is installed along the desired location of the wall and supported by the guide structure are a series of yoke members to which are fixed a pair of spaced apart slipforms. Hydraulic lowering jacks mounted on top of the yoke members control vertical jack rods, the lower ends of which are connected to a base retaining shoe. Pouring and finishing platforms are supported by the guide structure above and below the slipforms. The retaining shoe is initially connected to the lower edge of the slip forms and in constructing a caisson, is located just above the highwater line. The first pour fills the retaining shoe and when it has solidified, the jacks lower it evenly below the slipforms. As pouring and slipforming continues the shoe soon enters the water and the weight on the jacks is reduced by the water displaced. When the retaining shoe reaches the bottom, water may be applied through passages formed in the shoe to provide jet outlets along its inner and outer surfaces. The water jets aid in helping the shoe to penetrate into the ocean or lake floor to provide a firm footing for the Wall or caisson.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for constructing concrete wall structures by slipforming and more particularly for constructing caissons in open water.

With economic expansion and growth, the availability of dry land decreases and greater use must be made of offshore marine areas. This entails the construction of various underwater structures such as offshore loading facilities, ocean piers, wharves, graying docks, breakwaters and retaining walls. A particularly important problem is the construction of caissons or cofferdams which must extend below the water level to facilitate the installation of foundations and the like. Heretofore, such caissons were often prefabricated and then towed and sunk in place or in other instances they were built from sheet piling or the like.

A general object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for making underwater structures that is less expensive and requires less time than previous methods.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an underwater wall structure such as a caisson that is made of concrete instead of metal and thus is not subject to corrosion. Concrete provides important advantages because it eliminates the need for applying expensive coatings or cathodic protection devices to prevent such corrosion.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a method and apparatus for slipforming a concrete wall in open water from the top down istead of from the bottom up.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming a cellular concrete wall in open water that can be carried out by relatively unskilled per- United States Patent 0 Patented Sept. 28, 1971 ice sonnel without the need for unusually large and specialized equipment.

In accordance with the invention, the aforesaid objects are accomplished by first installing a guide structure comprised of a series of upright pilings driven in place at intervals along the line of the proposed wall. A supporting deck structure comprised of cross beams and deck sheeting is attached to the upper ends of the guide piles. A series of yoke members supporting parallel, spaced apart slipforms are attached to the cross beams. At intervals along the top of the slipforms are jacks each having a downwardly extending jack rod. The lower ends of the jack rods are connected to a cutting or retaining shoe which initially is held tightly against the open bottom of the slipform. Situated within the slipforms are a series of spaced apart mandrels. After the initial pour which fills the cutting shoe and the slipforms around its mandrels, the concrete is allowed to set or solidify. The jacks are. then actuated to lower the cutting shoe as additional pouring is done at the top of the slip forms. As soon as the cutting shoe becomes submersed below the water line, the buoyancy force of the water due to its displacement reduces the overall weight of the shoe and the concrete within and thus the tension on the concrete and the jack rods. When the cutting shoe reaches to the ocean or lake bottom, jets of water from pipes provided through it are used to help dig a firm footing for the structure.

Other objects, advantages and features of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation and in section showing an apparatus for forming a wall in open water according to the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in elevation and in section showing the upper end of the apparatus of FIG. 1 after the construction of the wall has progressed further;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing a lower portion of the wall as it appears when engaging the ocean or lake bottom;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

, FIG. 5 is a plan view of a completed caisson constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows a fragmentary view in elevation of a slipforming apparatus 10 for installing a cellular wall or caisson according to the present invention. Generally, it comprises an underwater guide structure which in this case is shown as a series of upright piling 12. Each of these piles may be driven at a specific location by means of a temporary pile placing template 14 which is originally installed on the floor 16 of the construction site. A typical template, shown in FIG. 1, includes a central guide portion formed of downwardly converging plates 18 supported by outwardly extending stabilizing beams 20. The templates and thus the piles of the guide structure are arranged in a predeterminated pa tern on the bottom depending on the wall structure to be built, and they may be positioned on either the inside, outside or within the wall. In the example shown, the piles 12 are within the wall and they are arranged, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in a spaced apart circular pattern to form a caisson. As will become apparent, my method and apparatus according to the present invention could be applied to make an underwater Wall of any shape or configuration. Additional support piles 12a may be installed on opposite sides of the wall for larger construction projects.

As shown in FIG. 2, the piles are cut off well above the water line so that their upper ends are in the same plane and support pairs of deck beams 22 forming the main frame for a horizontal deck. Additional offset piles 12a are driven at locations spaced from the wall piles 12 to help support the deck beams (see FIG. 4).

Intermediate beams 26 fixed to the deck beams 22 support sheeting or flooring material to form a working deck 28 and a pouring platform 30. They also support downwardly extending members 32 to which are attached lower working platforms 34 and 36 that are located adjacent outer and inner sides of the wall that is to be formed. Extending between each wall piling, are a pair of curved spaced apart channel beams 38 which are connected to the deck beams. Spaced apart along these channel beams and extending crosswise thereon are a series of yoke members 40. Each yoke member is comprised of a pair of structural beam members 42 to the ends of which are fixed a pair of spaced apart downwardly extending yoke arms 44. As shown in FIG. 1, these arms are attached to and help to support spaced apart wall members or slipforms 46. These slipforms may be fabricated in various ways, and in the embodiment illustrated each is constructed from a pair of steel plates 48 fixed to opposite end flanges of a series of stringer beams or channels 50. The vertical height of the slipforms should be around 4 to feet and their lower edges extend just below the yoke arms 44. Situated between the slipforms 46 and spaced apart at intervals, as shown in FIG. 4, are a series of hollow sheet metal mandrels 52. The upper ends of these mandrels are attached to the curved channels 38 and their lower ends, which are unattached extend to the same level as the lower edges of the slipforms. On top of each yoke member is a hydraulic lowering jack 54 which may be of the conventional type familiar to those skilled in the art. Each jack controls a jack rod 56, preferably having a square cross section, and is capable of gripping and holding the rod. The lower ends of the jack rods are connected to a movable retaining or cutting shoe 58 which forms the lower edge of the wall to be built. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this cutting shoe has a wedged shaped cross section formed from sheet metal plates that are welded or riveted together to form inner and outer walls 60 and 62 and an inclined bottom 64. The walls are spaced apart the same amount as the distance between the slipforms 46 and in planform they have the same shape which, for constructing a caisson, is circular, as shown in FIG. 4. Extending downwardly within the cutting shoe are a series of spaced apart pipes 66 that have openings 68 in both the opposite walls 60, 62 and also the sloped bottom 64. These pipes extend upwardly between the slipforms and are connected to a source of water under pressure so that water jets can be provided along the cutting shoe to help force it into the soil of the ocean or lake bottom.

To describe the various method steps utilizing the apparatus according to my invention, it may first "be assumed that the piles 12 have been installed as well as the support beams 22, work decking 28, and the remaining parts of the apparatus described above. The cutting shoe 58, as shown in FIG. 1, is initially held by the jack rods 56 with its walls 60 and 62 up inside the slipforms 46. From the platform 30 wet concrete can now be poured between the slipforms around the mandrels 52 and down into the cutting shoe 58 around the pipes 66. When the concrete commences to solidify, the lowering jacks 54 are actuated to move the rods downwardly. The walls 60, 62 of the cutting shoe move out of the slipforms 46 and a concrete wall 70 commences to be formed. Additional wet concrete is added at intervals at the top of the slipforms in accordance with proper slipforming procedures and the jacks are periodically actuated to keep the cutting shoe at the lower end of the wall moving downwardly. As soon as the cutting shoe is immersed in water, the portion under water is reduced in weight by the water displaced. Thus, the tension forces on the jack rods do not increase substantially because the cavities 72 created by the mandrels and the buoyant force of the Water counteract the total Weight of the concrete in the wall 70 being formed. As the wall grows in size as slipforming progresses, concrete finishers can stand on the platforms 34 and 36 and finish the concrete surfaces of the wall as it moves downwardly. When the cutting shoe reaches the ocean or like bottom 16, water is supplied through the pipes 66 under pressure. At the outlets 68 of these pipes, the water jets created provide an erosion or digging action in the bottom soil or sand. As shown in FIG. 3, this enables the cutting shoe 58 to penetrate into the bottom soil and seek a solid footing for the wall or caisson. During the sinking operation, water can be siphoned in the caisson wall cavities 72 to increase or decrease in a controlled manner the penetrating force.

When the wall is completed, the cross beams 22 and the work deck structure 28 can be used to control removal of material from the inside of the caisson by air lift pumps or other equipment. Thereafter, the work deck and other supporting structure can be removed to leave the finished wall or caisson, as shown in FIG. 5.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

I claim:

1. A method for forming a concrete wall in open water comprising the steps of:

erecting an upwardly extending guide structure on the location of the wall to be formed;

providing a pair of spaced apart slipforms at the upper end of the guide structure and a movable retaining shoe along the bottom of the slipforms;

holding the retaining shoe in engagement with the slipforms;

filling the slipforms and the retaining shoe with wet concrete and allowing it to solidify;

lowering the retaining shoe downwardly and moving the solidified concrete out of the slipforms;

adding additional wet concrete to the top of the slipforms;

repeating the latter two steps until the retaining shoe has engaged the ground surface to complete the wall.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said guide structure is formed in a circle to construct a circular wall or caisson.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said guide structure is constructed by driving piles at spaced apart intervals in open water, securing a deck structure to the upper ends on said piles, and attaching said slipforms to said deck structure so that said retaining shoe is initially above the high water mark.

4. The method as described in claim 3 including the step of forcing jets of water through spaced apart openings in said retaining shoe when it engages the ocean or lake bottom.

5. The method as described in claim 3 including the step of making spaced apart cavities in the wall as it is formed.

6. The method as described in claim 5 including the step of transferring water to and from said cavities to control the attitude and force of the wall as it is being lowered.

7. Apparatus for constructing a concrete wall comprising:

a pair of spaced apart slipforms;

guide means for supporting said slipforms above the side of the wall to be constructed;

a movable retaining shoe having sidewalls engageable with said slipforms and forming a bottom closure therewith;

a plurality of jack rods fixed at their lower ends to said shoe and extending upwardly; and

jack means above said slipforms for holding and then controlling the lowering of said jack rods and hence said shoe so that wet concrete can be poured in the top of said slipforms and said shoe can be moved downwardly as concrete solidifies at the lower end of the slipforms.

8. The apparatus as described in claim 7 wherein said guide means comprises a series of spaced apart piles, a deck structure adjacent the upper ends of said piles, said slipforrns being fixed to said deck structure, beam means extending between said piles, and 'yoke means spaced apart along said beam means for supporting said jack means.

9. The apparatus as described in claim 7 wherein said retaining shoe has opposite sidewalls interconnected by a sloped bottom thereby forming a tapered cross section to facilitate its penetration into the ground at the foot of the all.

10. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein said piles are spaced apart in a circle to form guide means for making a caisson.

11. The pparatus as described in claim 8 including a series of spaced apart mandrels extending downwardly from said beam means between said slipforms to form cavities in the wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,758,606 5/1930 Jacobs 61-46 2,354,936 8/1944 Bignell 6153.74 2,972,234 2/1961 Suderow 61-52 3,097,493 7/1963 Blankevoort 61-46X 3,249,664 5/ 1966 Georgii 61-46 I. KARL BELL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

